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Kaiser Permanente Sponsors BIKETOWN

It is no secret that biking is good for your health. By burning calories, toning muscles, boosting blood-flow, reducing the risk of heart disease or simply offering riders a moment of reprieve in a hectic day, cycling comes with countless health benefits.

It stands to reason, then, that bike share is not only transforming the transportation landscapes of our cities, but also making a big splash in their health ecosystems. That’s why PwC’s Health Research Institute recently called Motivate “the accidental wellness company” and featured us in their case study outlining the “fitness byproduct” of bike share.

And that’s why more and more healthcare companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, a Divvy sponsor, are recognizing bike share as an opportunity. Most recently, healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente signed on as a sponsor of BIKETOWN, Portland’s popular program, offering a generous $750,000 to be spread out over the next five years. In exchange for their support, Kaiser’s logo will be featured on BIKETOWN’s stations, mobile app and web-based system map.

And it’s not just about sponsorship. Businesses large and small are also partnering with our systems to offer subsidized memberships to their employees as part of their corporate wellness plans. Kaiser is among them– in addition to sponsoring BIKETOWN, the company will also offer its Portland-based employees a group membership plan.

Motivate also works with cities to launch health-focused initiatives like Prescribe-a-Bike. This innovative program, which originated in Boston and has since travelled to Brooklyn, has doctors “prescribing” bike share memberships to low-income patients with health needs who would benefit from easier access to daily exercise.

The involvement of high profile companies like Kaiser attests to the fact that bike share is already a powerful tool for improving public health and advancing health equity. With more and more terrific partners climbing on board, a healthier tomorrow is well within reach.